Combined gravity separator and conveyer



Patented May 9, H899.

T. J. BABB OUR. COMBINED GRAVITY SEPABATOB'AND GONV'EYER.

(Application filed Oct. 18, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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-NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. HARBOUR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COMBINED GRAVITY SEPARATOR AND CCNVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,612, dated May 9, 1899. Application filed October 13, 1893. Serial No. 693,379. (No model) To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. BARBOUR, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in a Combined Gravity Separator-and Conveyor; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for the purpose of separating light and heavy material and to a means for delivering the separated materials of different specific gravity at vdifferent points with relation to the apparatus.

It consists in the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation with partial sections. Fig. 2 is a front end view. Fig. 3 is a plan view.

The object of this apparatus is generally to separate and grade materials having differcut specific gravities or qualities of value, and this material may be so associated that either the lighter or the heavier material Will be that which is of value, and in some cases it may be desirable to separate and save material of intermediate specific gravity. The apparatus for effecting this separation consists of a receptacle or tank having an inclined floor and a means by which it may be agitated in every direction, with means for supplying an excess of water, which continually overflows at the discharge end of the apparatus. This tank A may have any suitable length and a bottom B, inclined as shown. The tank may be made of steel or iron plate or other suitable material and has the upper edges approximately horizontal or of such height as to contain water up to the level of a discharge spout or opening C, which is located adjacent to and above the deepest portion of the tank or receptacle. WVater is supplied to this apparatus from any suitable source and in such excess as to constantly overflow from the discharge-passage, carrying with it the lighter material which reaches that point. If this lighter material be ofa character which it is desirable to save, it may be conveyed by sluice or other means to a point where it can be subsequently allowedto settle and separate from the water or the water be drained off.

The lower end of the floor B discharges into a well or chamber D, which is of considerable depth and receives all the material delivered from the bottom B which does not pass out of the overflow.

Beneath the floor B is a cylindrical casing E, in which a spiral worm or carrier F is located and caused to revolve. The lower end of this casing communicates with the chamber D at a point above its bottom, and any material delivered into this chamber which can be engaged by the screw will be carried 11 p through the casing by the revolutions of the screw and delivered into a receptacle G, situated at the upper end of the apparatus, or, if desired, it may be carried away by sluices or other directing apparatus so disposed as to receive the discharge from the screw. \Vhen the valuable material is the lightest, it will rise and, as previously stated, will pass out through the discharge-opening at the end of the apparatus. The heavier material will drop into the well D, and if this material contains gold, amalgam, or other valuable substance it will sink to the bottom of the well, where it may be amalgamated by a body of mercury there placed for that pur pose. If the intermediate material consists of stones or worthless substances, the screw will carry it up and discharge it at the upper end of the screw-casing. If, however, there may be sulfurets, black sand, or other ma terial, as in the case of auriferous ores which have been pulverized, this material will be carried up by the screw, in which case it will be delivered into the receptacle at the upper end of the screw-casing.

If coal is to be washed and separated from rock, stone, and other material having a greater specific gravity, this latter material nals I, in which they are freely turnable axially. At right angles with these journals holes are bored, as shown at J, and into these holes project the vertical stems K from eccentric-straps L, which surround the eccentrics M. These eccentrics are bored through diagonally and are fixed upon shafts N, which extend parallel with and upon each side of the tank. or receptacle A. By the position of these eccentrics it will be seen that when the shafts are rotated they will have a rotary and tumbling motion, which, acting through the eccentric-straps and the journal-boxes of the arms and shafts H of the tank, will give the latter a peculiar tumbling motion, the tank being moved up, down, right, left, and longitudinally in each direction by each revolution of the eccentrics. The shafts upon which the eccentrics are fixed are connected so as to rotate in unison by means, preferably, of belt or chain pulleys, as shown at 0. Power is communicated to either of the shafts through belt-pulleys, as shown at N and by means of a friction-clutch or other well-known disengaging mechanism the movement of the apparatus may be stopped at will.

The shaft D of the spiral worm or carrier is connected by a universal joint Q with a horizo'ntally-journaled shaft D, and by means of belt-pulleys R R motion is transmitted to operate the screw.

Any suitable or desired speed of rotation may be given to the eccentric-carryin g shafts, this depending upon the character of the material to be separated, and the angle of the bottom of the receptacle and that of the screw are regulated by means of screws 8, turnable in the'framework T, forming the base upon which the apparatus is supported.

Either of the screws may be turned through stationary nuts, or the nuts may be turnable upon stationary screws, the object in either case being to change the angle of the apparatus as the character of the material to be worked makes necessary.

Any suitable device may be employed for feeding the material to be separated into the upper end of the receptacle A. When the material is in the form of auriferous sand or gravel or like substance, it is preferable to interpose a revolving screen U, mounted upon a central shaft or upon exterior rollers and driven bya belt V from the main drivingshaft. Beneath this perforated or screen cylinder is an inclined chute W, which receives the finer material and delivers it into the tank A. Beneath the discharge end of this inclined screen-cylinder is placed a chute Y, and any stones or large worthless material will be delivered into this chute and carried away.

Water is discharged into the upper part of the revolving screen-cylinder by means of a tapering pipe 0, connecting with a supplymain 1). This tapering pipeis preferably perforated, so that water is distributed over the mass of material within the screen-cylinder,

and that portion destined for treatment in the main part of the apparatus passes through the screen into the delivery-chute, while the remainder passes out at the lower end, as before stated.

Material may be fed to the screen from a hopper c, which delivers either upon a rotary disk feeder cl of well-known pattern or it may be fed by screw or other suitable feeder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An apparatus for separating materials of different specific gravity comprising a receptacle having an elongated inclined bottom and vertical sides, a feed-opening at the upper end and a discharge at the top of the lower end, a chamber or well extending vertically .below the bottom proximate to the discharge ,and in which the lower end of the inclined bottom terminates to receive heavier material therefrom, means for supplying water to the receptacle whereby the lighter material overflows therewith at the discharge, a screw conveyer and an inclosin g casing therefor exterior to the receptacle, said conveyor having its receiving end enteringthe chamber or well at a point above its bottom whereby material of intermediate specific gravity is conveyed different specific gravity comprising a receptacle having an elongated inclined bottom and approximately horizontal upper edges,

an overflow adjacent to the lower or deeper end of the bottom, means for supplying material and water to the upper end of the receptacle whereby the lighter material overflows at the lower end, a depressed well or chamber extending downward from the deeper end of said receptacle and into which the heaviest and intermediate materials are directed, an exterior, inclosed screw conveyer having its receiving end entering the-well or chamber at a point above its bottom whereby said intermediate material is removed and discharged at the opposite end of the conveyer and means for adjusting the angle of the receptacle and its attached conveyer.

3. In an apparatus for separating materials of different specific gravity, the combination of a reciprocating tank having an overflow for the lighter material and a well or chamber into which the heavier material settles,

and a-conveyer having a receiving end entering the well or chamber at a point above its bottom whereby thematerial of intermediate specific gravity is conveyed out of the well or chamber and thereby separated from the heavier material in said well.

4. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, an elongatedtank having the inclined bottom, means for supplying material at the upper end thereof and an excess of water, an overflow-discharge passage at the lower or deeper end, a well or chamber extending vertically below the bottom at a point near the overflow-passage and into which heavier material from the bottom is delivered and a screw conveyer exterior to and below the receptacle and having one end entering and connecting therewith, means for agitating the apparatus consisting of arms or shafts by whichthe tank is suspended, and angularlyplaced rotary eccentrics connected therewith.

5. In an apparatus of the character described,the inclined-bottomed tank with overflow-passage, and well or chamber at the lower end and screw conveyer connecting therewith, horizontally j ournaled rotary shafts extending parallel with the receptacle or tank, angularly-bored eccentrics secured to the shafts, eccentric-straps with projectin g pins, sockets in which said pins are loosely turnable, other sockets or bearings at right angles therewith and arms projecting from the sides of the tank and entering said sockets whereby a universal oscillatory motion is transmitted from the eccentrics to the tank.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank or receptacle having an inclined bottom, a vertically-extended well or chamber at the lower end of said bottom into which the heavier material is delivered, an overflow-passage at the upper part and adjacent to said well, means for supplying material at the upper end of the floor or bottom and an excess of water therewith, mechanism by which the tank is constantly agitated whereby material is separated and the lighter portion carried oif with the overflow and the heavier portion deposited in the well, a screw conveyer outside of and extending beneath the inclined bottom, having the lower end entering a wall of and connected with the well whereby material deposited therein is constantly removed and a receptacle at the upper end of the conveyer intowhich said material is delivered.

7. In a mechanism of the character described, a receptacle or tank having an inclined bottom, a vertically-extending receiving-well and an overflow-passage, proximate to each other and both located at the deeper portion of the receptacle, mechanism by which the tank is given an oscillatory movement,

means for supplying material and an excess 7 of water at the upper end of the inclined floor whereby the lighter material is carried off with the water through the overflow and the heavier material is deposited in the well or chamber, an inclined screw conveyerentirely outside of and extending beneath the bottom of the tank, having its lower end'entering av wall of and connected with the wellat a point above the bottom, and a receiver into which its upper end discharges,whereby the heaviest material is allowed to fall to the bottom of the chamber, and material of intermediate weight is carried away by the screw conveyer.

S. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank having an inclined bottom, the overflow-passage, well, screw conveyor and receiver at the upper end thereof, a framework having standards upon each side of the tank, journal-boxes upon said standards and shafts turnable in unison extending essentially parallel with the sides of the tank, diagonally-bored eccentrics fixed to the shafts, intermediate mechanism whereby the rotation of the shafts produces an oscillatory movement of the tank, and adjusting devices connecting with the framework whereby the an gle of the tank and conveyor and the connected parts may be varied'and adjusted.

9.. An apparatus for separating materials of diflt'erent specific gravity comprising a tank or receptacle with an inclined bottom, a vertically-extended receiving well or chamber at the lower end, a .screw conveyer exterior to and below the receptacle and having one end entering a wall of the well or chamber at a point above its bottom, whereby said conveyer continuously removes portions of material of intermediate specific gravity,an over= flow-passage at the upper side of the tank adjacent to the chamber, an inclined cylindrical screen situated above the upper end of the tank, a chute into which material passing through the screen falls and by which it is delivered into the tank, a chute into which the larger material from the lower end of the cylindrical screen is conveyed away, a water-- THOMAS J. BARBOURV Witnesses:

FRANK M. LELAND, A. O. PAULSMEIER. 

